V-berth noise

brimanst

brimanst

Member
Dec 20, 2006
219
Mt. Pleasant, SC
Boat Info
1998 Sedan Bridge 480DB
Engines
Twin CAT 3196's 660HP
Is anyone else annoyed with the noise of waves lapping against the v-berth? If so, has anybody solved the problem. Even the smallest waves seem to make a lot of noise. It is worse at the marina where the wind shifts around the boat. I have been trying to think of all kinds of methods including floating swimming noodles around the v-berth to try to break the wave before it hits the hull. I don't remember it being this bad on my old 340. I am just looking to see if anyone else has experienced and/or solved this. Thanks.

briman
 
I solved it. I bought a boat with the master stateroom aft! Nothing else seemed to work.
 
I solved it by sleeping in the port side state room. It's the same size as the front "master". Actually.. I think the bed is bigger but I would have to measure to be sure.
 
We were overnighting last month off one of the barrier islands, forecast was for 5-10 kt winds. Of course, in the middle of the night they picked up to 15 kts, and we got no sleep for just the reasons you mentioned. My wife hates the motion AND the noise of the waves slapping the hull. Me, the motion doesn't bother me, but I had a headache by morning from the waves slapping the hull. Only fix I can think of is earplugs, but then that's a safety concern.

Of course, my kids sleeping in the stbd. guest SR and on the salon couch didn't hear a thing. I don't think you can ever get used to it; and an aft-cabin MY is just not for me...

I have had a thought, maybe laying some heavy padded blankets- like the kind used for moving furniture- along the hullsides before going to sleep. Not much to look at, but it might work?
 
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you should hear it in my 280, sounds like someone banging a drum next to my head. 3 glass's of scotch made them go away.
 
Same problem with the 420DA. I think the benefits for the great ride are paid for with the noise at night.

Alcohol is the only thing that seems to make it go away.
 
One thing i was thinking about doing was lining the hull in the berth area with "vinyl barrier" which reduces sound transmission by about 35db (about equal to earplugs). it's an 1/8" thick impregnated vinyl sheet with a foam back that is glued on to generate a gap + barrier. I took rough measurements of what I thought I could cover and then estimated the weight it would add. It came to about 350lbs. This wouldn't do anything about the rest of the hull and any spots you couldn't cover, sound would enter through there. Maybe a lighter material would reduce it a hair, but probably not worth the trouble.

The hull is flexible resonating material and the only effective way at reducing noise transmission with this kind of material is material + air gaps + material. the more air gaps you can generate, the quieter it will be.
 
If it's noise from the boat wandering on anchor then consider using a bridle.

One way is to use a rolling hitch tied to the rode and then back to a cleat on either side. You'd have to let out about 20% more rode that usual. Let out your normal amount, get it set and then attach the line to the rode. Then let out the rode that 20% more. Once it's out then bring that line tied to it over to cleat on the side. Draw the line tighter and notice how it'll shift the angle of the boat on anchor. You only need to pull it 'enough' to get the desired offset. Don't go too far or you introduce other hassles like dealing with it getting tangled when changing direction due to wind, tides or current. It's also possible to use a bridle off both bow cleats to accomplish much the same idea. It's going to better handle direction changes but will require a pretty long line since you'll need to have extra on both ends to allow adjusting (since the knot it fixed in position on the rode).

I used this once last summer when a 15kt breeze started kicking up just enough small chop to make it impossible for me to sleep (the tequila had long since worn off...). Bit of a hassle doing this at 0-dark-thirty in my skivvies but it gave just enough offset to let the waves slap the hull at a 'less annoying' position.

What made it even more of a pain in the ass was having already left a raft-up with some sailboats to escape it. They were anchored such the slap was unbearable. So I just drifted off the end of the raft, far enough to avoid too much engine noise and then motored to another part of the cove (I think it was off the Rhode river somewhere). The wind eventually pushed me nearly back to the same angle as the raft-up. So the bridle was my only other option.

See http://www.animatedknots.com for info on making the right knots. Look for rolling hitch, prusik and klemheist.

If you're sure about the weather and wave conditions you could also use a stern anchor, or even just anchor from the stern. But there you need to be sure you're not introducing the added risk of water coming in through the transom door.

There are lots of reasons NOT to use a single stern anchor and most are correct. But in a small protected cove on smooth water and no weather expected, well, it's an option to consider.

Using two anchors; one bow, one stern, is another option but it's again something you should only be considering if conditions are right for it. There's also the bahamian mooring technique using two anchors, but I've had no experience with it.
 
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If you have a storage compartment under the bed, line it with insulation. You can use the soft kind or buy the pink board type and cut to fit and glue down. It helps.
 
How about using some of the adhesive-backed sound insulation sheets? Like the kind they make for engine compartments or between the rug and floor in automobiles?
 
You'd look pretty silly wearing a tiara to bed, but if it works for you.....
 
The only thing the insulation will do it change the frequency of the sound transmition. If you had access to a RTA meter, you can plot the frequency of the sound and then calculate the effectiveness of the insulation if you know it's rating. This will only be effective at certain frequencies (higher frequencies). since you'll only be adding the insulation in an air gap, this will only reduce the higher frequencies.

Being that most here are older (near deaf) it's likely that it won't do much other than keep the boat a little warmer.

another alternative (and possibly much cheaper), would be to add an active noise reduction system in your boat. A phase reversed system added to the stereo, might reduce it enough to make it acceptable. But generally they are only effective with low impulse noise. Think of it like a giant bose noise reduction headphone. I've never tried it in a boat environment, but it's pretty effective in other controlled environments so it might work with a little tweeking.
 
wkearney99 said:
How about using some of the adhesive-backed sound insulation sheets? Like the kind they make for engine compartments or between the rug and floor in automobiles?
Click to expand...

those sheets are like what I referred to earlier. foam backed barrier. they are very good if you can install them correctly and don't mind the huge amount of weight they add.
 
again these measures will only be effective with sound transmission, not structural transmission. And will be frequency dependent.

Ok, i've talked enough on this issue as it's bringing back nightmares and work related stress. Time for some olives marinated in finely distilled vodka.
 
I'm now thinking that next time- given that our preferred anchorage is only a few miles offshore in 10' of water- I may anchor off the stern. Anyone tried this?
 
What is it exactly about the SR hull that causes this wave slapping noise? Is it because it is solid fiberglass?
Before purchasing the AJ270 last August I went for a sea trial in a 260 Sundancer and was very surprised by the amount of wave slapping noise while running. I assume the cause of this is the same as at anchor.
The boat that I had for the last 17 years, a Tiara Continental 2200, did not make that kind of noise. I don't think I'm going to like it!

Thanks in advance,
Seabbatical
 
That noise is what puts me to sleep. That and a movie. We never seem to make it all the way thru a movie before dozing off. Especially if I'm forced to watch a chick movie.
 
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